Modernizing Transportation

Together, we can support thriving and healthy communities for people across New England. What does it take for a community to thrive? It starts with clean air and clean water and access to good jobs, education, and health care. It also takes safe and affordable transportation choices, local green spaces, and easy access to fresh, healthy…

In December, CLF members joined more than 2,400 concerned MBTA riders from across Massachusetts in calling on Governor Charlie Baker to maintain current services and keep fare increases affordable on the state’s beleaguered transit system. Unfortunately, the Governor’s Fiscal and Management Control Board has yet to catch on to what the riding public wants. Instead, on…

Thirteen jurisdictions – nations, U.S. states, and one Canadian province – calling themselves the “International Zero-Emission Vehicle Alliance” announced that they have jointly committed to ensure that all new car, SUV, and truck sales are zero-emission vehicles “as fast as possible, and no later than 2050.” Four of those states are right here in New England.

Today, with partners Sierra Club and Acadia Center, CLF released a groundbreaking new report, Charging Up: The Role of States, Utilities, and the Auto Industry in Dramatically Accelerating Electric Vehicle Adoption in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States. The report can be downloaded here. The new report outlines the policy pathway states in the Northeast and…

Every year, more consumers and businesses in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region are plugging in their cars to run on electricity and avoid the gasoline pump. The result is a win-win for people and the environment.

Cars. They cost a lot and pollute a lot. One exciting new opportunity to address both these problems are electric cars. They’ve come a long way. Gone are the days when the Toyota Prius was the only hybrid available to consumers. My interest in this was recently sparked at a gathering I attended of electric…

Conservation Law Foundation has been working closely with the Union of Concerned Scientists and other partners to advance legislation that would implement transportation fuel tracking in Massachusetts. What is fuel tracking and why is it important? David Babson, senior engineer for Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Vehicles Program explains: I have been traveling to Massachusetts…

It’s urgent that you act now and contact the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Tell them to leave in place the current limits on fare increases, so that riders are protected from big and unpredictable fare hikes.

When a new bill from Gov. Charlie Baker threatened to make public transportation more expensive and less reliable, CLF supporters and other transit activists took action. Thanks to your efforts, some of the worst provisions of this bill are no longer on the table.

Last week, I testified before the Massachusetts State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation. I was there, along with hundreds of other people, including Governor Baker himself, to comment on the Governor’s proposed MBTA reform bill, which would put the beleaguered transit system under the authority of a fiscal control board, among other reforms. Governor Baker…